


Elevated to Valentine

by rayvyn2k



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, POV Multiple, Rey Needs A Hug (Star Wars), Romantic Fluff, Unbetaed we die like men, Valentine's Day Fluff, this is the fluffiest thing I've ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:15:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29270106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rayvyn2k/pseuds/rayvyn2k
Summary: "This isn't my fault, sir," he said emphatically."What happened?" The growl warned Mitaka that Ren was nearing the end of his patience. The last time he'd had to contact him on his mother's birthday, Mitaka wound up answering Ren's fan mail for a week. Mitaka attributed the fact that he hadn't surrendered to anger already directly to Ren's growing affection for Rey.He reassessed the situation intuitively. He was paid handsomely in part because of his agile ability to morph into whatever role Ren needed him to play at any given moment. Perhaps in this moment, he mused, his role was as Fate's agent."Well, Rey wasn't at her desk... I heard a call for help...I set the flowers and chocolates down and went to offer my assistance.""All right…and?""I headed back, came around the corner—and not only had Rey returned...she was reading the card. I-I have to admit I panicked. I ducked around the corner before she saw me."  Mitaka didn't miss Ren's sharp intake of breath."Does she like them?"
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 16
Kudos: 79
Collections: Reylo Valentine’s 2021





	Elevated to Valentine

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Ben asks his PA to drop a bouquet of flowers and a birthday gift to Leia's office on Feb 14 morning. Leia's receptionist assumes that it's a secret Valentine's gift for Ben's crush Rey and puts the gift set on her desk. Ben receives a sweet but flirtatious thank you call from Rey and decides to play along.  
> A/N: This prompt grabbed at me the first time I read it. The second time I read it, it wrapped its tendrils around my brain and wouldn't let go. This story is the result. I couldn't work the phone call from Rey in, but I hope Mitaka's will suffice.  
> This is my first try at writing #Reylo, be gentle. Thanks to @proporgo for organizing the #REYLOVALENTINES2021 EXCHANGE!

~~~***~~~

Dopheld Mitaka listened to the phone ringing and hoped that, for once, his boss wouldn't pick up the call. Mr. Ren had made it very clear that he would be working on his latest novel all day and didn't want to be disturbed as per usual on the 14th of February, his mother's birthday. There was a chance, if Ren had already settled into a writing groove, that Mitaka's call would go to voice mail. His hopes were dashed after the fourth ring.

"Mitaka, you know better than to disturb me today of all days." The irritated sound of Mr. Ren's voice scraped across Mitaka's nerves and the coffee he'd had that morning soured in his stomach. 

"Yes, sir—I do. But…there's something you need to know."

"What is it?"

He swallowed. "It's your mother's birthday gift, s-sir," he said in a low tone as he peeked around the corner, then whipped quickly back before he was seen. He was on the 75th floor of the Organa Building, standing in the elevator foyer of the executive offices of Organa-Solo Incorporated. 

"Mitaka, didn't we already arrange that—last week?" 

"Yes, sir. I purchased both the flowers, which is an amazing arrangement of red and white roses with star lilies…the florist outdid…"

"Get on with it! " Ren interrupted.

"Yes. As we discussed, I picked up a pound of Maz's homemade chocolates as well…." Mitaka felt panic trying to creep into him and fought it down. "This isn't my fault, sir," he said emphatically.

"What happened?" The growl warned Mitaka that Ren was nearing the end of his patience. The last time he'd had to contact him on his mother's birthday, Mitaka wound up answering Ren's fan mail for a week and he most assuredly did not wish to repeat the experience. But the fact that his boss hadn't surrendered to anger already Mitaka attributed directly to Ren's growing affection for Rey. 

He reassessed the situation intuitively. As his personal assistant, Mitaka was paid handsomely in part because of his agile ability to morph into whatever role Kylo Ren needed him to play at any given moment. Perhaps in this moment, he mused, his role was as Fate's agent. 

"Well, Rey wasn't at her desk... I heard a call for help...I set the flowers and chocolates down and went to offer my assistance."

"All right…and?"

"I headed back, came around the corner—and not only had Rey returned...she was reading the card. I-I have to admit I panicked. I ducked around the corner before she saw me." Mitaka didn't miss Ren's sharp intake of breath. 

"Does she like them?" 

"How could she not?" Mitaka thought as he peered around the corner, had a quick look, and then dodged out of sight once more. "She seems delighted, sir." 

When the line was quiet on the other end for several moments, a knowing smile tugged at Mitaka's lips. He stepped away from the corner and made his way to the elevator and pressed the button to summon it. 

"Arrange something else for my mother—go to Tiffany and get her some earrings or a bracelet or something. Have it gift wrapped, and then bring it to my office. I'll deliver it myself."

Mitaka was already descending toward the lobby when the line went dead. 

~~~***~~~

Rey had her face buried in a sweet-smelling rose when a clatter of jewelry signaled Leia's arrival. She looked up and met her boss's twinkling eyes. "Lovely flowers, Rey. So, have I met them?"

"Met who?" 

"The sender." 

Rey felt warmth suffuse her cheeks. "We've been friends for a while now but this…is very new. As in," she indicated the flowers and chocolates on her desk. "All this? It was unexpected...but not unwelcome. If you don't mind…I'd rather keep the secret just a bit longer." 

Leia's raised eyebrows told Rey that perhaps "the sender's" identity wasn't much of a secret to her. 

And her supposition was probably right. But she only smirked and waved a familiar looking bagel shop bag in the direction of her office. "Give my five minutes and then we'll get the day started." 

Rey crossed her arms, leaned back and contemplated the lavish flower arrangement and her thoughts drifted, as they so often did these days, to Kylo. Tall, dark, charming…their slow flirtation over the last year had grown into something more for her and she'd hoped... But...this—this was practically a declaration. 

Rey took a deep breath, and firmly told her traitorous heart to calm down. But Traitorous Heart, being supported by Soaring Hope, told her to fuck off and continued to ascend. 

Because the card said: "I'll be by later" and was signed "Ben." 

Kylo had signed the card _Ben._

~~~***~~~

One year ago~

_Rey hurried into the building, a large coffee in one hand, her backpack over one shoulder and her laptop bag slung over the other. Her commute and the line at the coffee shop had conspired to make her late. Late for her anyway since she was always one of the first people at work in the morning. She trotted across the marble tile—she couldn't run for shit in heels—and noted in dismay that the doors to the express elevator were closing._

_"Hold the lift! Please!"_

_Much to her relief, a hand appeared between the elevator doors, preventing them from closing until she reached it and slipped inside. "75 please," Rey said. She flicked a glance at her benefactor and her mouth went dry._

_She was positive that she'd never seen this man before. Tall, was the first impression. Or perhaps "large" was a better word. And very fit. Rey's eyes drifted leisurely over him. Very fit indeed. Muscled shoulders, broad chest, narrow waist. Wearing a black leather jacket with a black shirt underneath whose buttons were doing heroic work holding it closed so far, but the battle was seriously in question based on the strain they were under._

_Oh my. She swallowed. _

_His low-slung, black jeans clung to his long muscular legs. Her eyes drifted back up and she took in a mane of wavy black hair and a face with scattered freckles and moles. Golden brown eyes. Amused golden brown eyes. Rey became aware that she'd been staring._

_Be fair, ogling._

_"Thanks for holding the lift," she said, feeling her cheeks grow warm._

_"My pleasure." His voice was like velvet and her eyes flickered to his mouth._

_Very kissable, that mouth her libido reminded her with a whisper of gooseflesh across her skin. _

_She watched, enthralled, as his pink tongue darted across his bottom lip, moistening it before disappearing into his mouth again, breaking the spell._

_Rey snatched her eyes away from that very kissable mouth and scurried to the back corner of the lift. He turned to face the front and put his hands in his pockets, pulling his jeans tight, drawing Rey's attention to his perfect ass._

_Stop being a creeper! she scolded herself, focusing her eyes on the floor. _

_The elevator stopped on the 50th floor and he glanced over his shoulder, the movement causing Rey to look up. He met her gaze and winked before he stepped out. Rey stared after him until the elevator doors closed between them and it resumed its journey upward. Rey closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, wondering what the hell had just happened. The "ding" of the bell signaled the elevator's arrival at the 75th floor and snapped her back to attention. She settled herself behind her desk, opened her laptop and got busy, but she caught herself thinking about the encounter throughout the day, and wondered if she'd ever see him again._

~~~***~~~

Kylo Ren put his phone down, leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on his desk. Rey had a huge bouquet of flowers and chocolates on her desk right now. From him. On Valentine's Day. Something that he had talked himself out of doing just yesterday, but fate had intervened. A shiver ran down his back.

 _Rey._ Kylo would never forget the day he met her. 

Because it was also Ren Publishing's first "official" day in the new building. The Organa Building. 

~~~***~~~

_Kylo was standing on the sidewalk outside of the building at an ungodly hour of the morning; before the New York City worker bees, impatient, with no time for gawking at buildings, flooded the Manhattan sidewalks. Mostly because he'd known that he would need a few moments to gather himself before going inside of his mother's building and he didn't want to block said sidewalk and risk punching one of those impatient someones. A swarm of nerves prickled across him and Kylo thrust his hands into the pockets of his jeans, took a deep breath and reminded himself that it was his success that had brought him here. He'd done it on his own, without help from his family._

_When he'd made the decision to expand his business, Kylo made an intentional choice to bring it to the Organa Building. It had taken thirteen years, but Kylo finally felt ready to re-approach his mother, so he'd leased office space in her building. A subtle olive branch he told himself._

_Kylo hadn't decided what he would do if Leia noticed. Panic, probably._

_He shook those treacherous thoughts out of his head, leashed his nerves and locked them away. "Stop being stupid," he muttered. Then he lifted his chin, straightened his back and waved his ID card at the reader beside the revolving door, activating it.  
Kylo stepped into the lobby and strode across the marble floor, impatient to get to his office. He stabbed the button for the elevator and the doors opened immediately. He stepped inside and pressed the button for his floor. The doors started to close. _

_"Hold the lift! Please!"_

_Kylo reacted without thinking and thrust his hand between the doors, which caused them to change course and reopen, revealing a lovely wisp of a woman hurrying toward him while balancing a laptop bag, a backpack, a huge cup of coffee and a paper bag with the word "Maz's" on it. She was wearing a gray silk blouse and a black pencil skirt and when she breezed past him, the scent of honeysuckle wafted along with her as she made her way into the elevator car._

_She turned to face him, and Kylo's heart stuttered in his chest. The instant, intense attraction to her caused his nerves to return full force. The young woman in front of him was achingly lovely. Her brown hair was pulled away from her face into a careless braid and tendrils of curls had already escaped, swirling around her face, highlighting her large hazel eyes, pert nose and full lips. Freckles scattered across her cheeks…down her neck…_

_"75 please." Her voice interrupted his thoughts and he pushed the requested button._

_After the car began to ascend, he glanced back at her and was struck again by her loveliness, so it took a few seconds for him to realize that she was unabashedly ogling him. Smothering his surprise, he watched her eyes meander from his shoulders down to and across his chest and then she swallowed. The movement of her throat ignited a curl of desire in him, and his eyes followed hers as they continued their journey around his person until they finally, inevitably, met his._

_Amusement rippled through him unexpectedly, chasing away his earlier disquiet. He raised his eyebrows, letting her know that she was caught, and she jerked her gaze away._

_"Thanks for holding the lift," she muttered. Kylo watched her cheeks redden adorably and was utterly disarmed._

_"My pleasure." Her eyes flickered to his mouth and lingered there and when Kylo saw gooseflesh rise on her arms his mouth went dry. He moistened his bottom lip with his tongue, which seemed to remind her that she was staring again because she scurried to the back of the lift and focused her gaze on the floor._

_Kylo turned to face the front of the elevator and shoved his hands into his pockets. He stood perfectly still but was achingly aware of the lovely young woman standing behind him and a little to the left as they rode in taut silence. When the doors opened on his floor, Kylo glanced over his shoulder and she looked up, her eyes unerringly finding his. He winked at her and then stepped out of the elevator and strode down the hallway toward his new office. ___

~~~***~~~

Remembering the way Rey had checked him out that first day, and how adorably pink her cheeks had gotten when he'd caught her doing it had the power to compel a smile from Kylo even now, almost a year later. Those first couple of weeks, as they kept meeting at the elevator in the morning, it became apparent that like him, she preferred to get to work early in the day. They would nod at each other then stand in awkward silence until he got out. When Kylo couldn't stand the tension anymore, he introduced himself to her. 

____

~~~***~~~

_"Kylo Ren?" Her mouth dropped open. "The author of "The Chronicles of Clan Moonwalker" fantasy series?"_

_"It sounds so impressive when you say it like that."_

_"Oh my gosh, I love your books! Although," she looked at him reproachfully. "That was an evil cliffhanger you ended on in the last one!"_

_He was absurdly happy that she'd read his books and a pleased smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Sorry about that."_

_"My name is Rey Jakku, and I am Leia Organa's personal assistant," she thrust out her hand._

_Leia Organa? Fuck._

_Kylo hid his discomfiture, took Rey's outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake. The touch of her skin sent a jolt through him and he released her at once. Her short, sharp intake of breath told him that she'd felt something too. He met her gaze and held it for a moment, captivated by their hazel depths and suddenly, it was as if he was thirteen again, standing nervous and tongue-tied in front of a girl._

_"It's nice to meet you, Rey," he murmured, while inwardly searching for a life preserver; trying to regain his equilibrium. "Do you want to know how they got out of it?" He finally choked out._

_"No!"_

_Her sharp tone triggered a defensive response in Kylo. He masked himself in the familiar character of "successful author." He glanced around quickly and lowered his voice. "Are you sure? Because if you can keep a secret…"_

_Warmth suffused her cheeks and she cleared her throat. "No—thank you. I'd prefer to wait for the book."_

~~~***~~~

At first, their brief interactions were focused on his book series and it only took about two weeks to exhaust the topic.

~~~***~~~

_"I finished re-reading book two of the Moonwalker series and I know that Caleus and Adevia have a magical connection to each other…" She looked up at him. "…right?"_

_"Rey, I am willing to confirm or deny your theory." He raised his eyebrows at her. "Are you sure you want to know? You told me before you wanted to wait and read it in the book."_

_She chewed her lip in an agony of indecision for several moments before she sighed in exasperation. "Damn it."_

_He shrugged helplessly. "Then we'll have to talk about something else." Her huff of annoyance had his mouth twitching up on one side. "I'd like to know more about you. Where are you from?"_

_Pain flashed in her eyes, quickly hidden before she glanced away, and Kylo recognized with perfect clarity that this was not a subject that Rey wanted to talk about. He could empathize. After all, his own past was not something he shared with others very often._

_"Hey," he murmured soothingly. "It's okay, we can talk about something else…how about: What do you do for fun?"_

_The smile of gratitude that lit her face struck Kylo dumb, so he was grateful that she started talking because he had an excuse to lean against the side of the elevator and bask in her light._

~~~***~~~

Kylo crossed his arms across his chest and gazed unseeing across the room. He was absurdly glad that he had met Rey . She was bubbly and vivacious, and she fascinated him endlessly. In the following weeks, she told him about her roommate Rose and their small, tight group of friends, regularly regaling him with amusing stories of their frequent get-togethers.

And then there was the time when she'd prevented him from having a full-blown panic attack.

~~~***~~~

__

_"…and then I surprised everybody when I used my enchanted sword to kill the dragon. Do you remember I told you how the rest of them just want to plow through the main quest, but I like taking time to scavenge for loot? Well, I found that sword awhile ago." She smirked. "Fast forward to Saturday. The party takes a wrong turn somewhere and we wind up at the cave of this dragon we aren't supposed to fight until the end of the campaign. And I see Poe sitting behind his DM board, so smug because we got there too soon and I can tell that he's just anticipating a bloodbath. I pulled out that sword and killed the dragon on my first turn!" She bounced up and down on her toes, still relishing her triumph. "Their faces were priceless. So much fun." She stabbed him with a curious glance. "You never talk about your friends."_

_A jolt of pain sparked through him and Kylo's protective mask descended onto his face. "I don't have any friends," he replied. "So, nothing to talk about."_

_Life was simpler without attachments. It made things easier to deal with when people left._

_And they always left. Parents. Friends. Lovers._

_The look of sorrow that appeared on Rey's face made him jerk his gaze away and close his eyes. Kylo would never give anyone the power to hurt him by leaving ever again. He crossed his arms, trying to hold onto his mask, but the memory of the devastation of abandonment bled into his consciousness and tore at his heart._

_A touch on his arm startled him out of his thoughts. His eyes flew open and he shied away from it as if he'd been burned. It had been so long since he'd been touched, the intensity of it was overwhelming._

_"Kylo."_

_Rey's voice compelled his eyes to meet hers. The radiance of her empathy reached out from their hazel depths and penetrated the darkness that covered his mind like a shroud. He watched warily as she approached him once more, as slowly as she would any feral monster. She stopped short of touching him again and raised a questioning eyebrow. Kylo jerked a nod, certain that he was prepared this time._

_Then her small hand settled on his forearm and he realized his mistake at once because, he was definitely not prepared for the blaze of sensation he felt, even through his clothing. He was acutely, achingly aware of the pressure of her hand on his arm, using it as an anchor as he pulled himself together. _

_"I'm sure that you're too busy finishing up the book to do much socializing anyway." She squeezed his arm gently, then removed her hand._

_Kylo felt the loss acutely. He ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat._

_"Well, I've known Hux since we were roommates in college, but I'm not sure that I would label him a 'friend.' He's my lawyer."_

~~~***~~~

Kylo grimaced. Hux was a pompous, self-important prick. Hux also possessed the sort of canny intelligence and utter ruthlessness in a business attorney that Kylo appreciated. And, if he was honest, Hux had stuck with him all these years, which, yeah, he admitted grudgingly to himself, that was something.

Which apparently translated well to a rousing game of Dungeons and Dragons.

~~~***~~~

_"My roommate Rose…" Brilliant computer engineer, his mind supplied helpfully. "Met a man when she was on vacation in Vegas last month. A lawyer named Armitage. Armitage Hux. She brought him round on Saturday to meet everyone." Rey peered up at him. "Didn't you tell me that your lawyer's name is Hux?"_

_"Tall, red hair, pointy face?" As if "Armitage" wasn't enough of a clue. She nodded. "Yep, that's him."_

_Rey's eyes were bright with mischief. "He rolled up a character and joined our game."_

_Kylo tried to imagine the snooty, buttoned-down Hux playing Dungeons and Dragons and failed utterly. "I...wasn't aware that was something he did in his spare time."_

_"I have to admit, he was…uncomfortable…at first." Rey didn't try to hold back a smug smile. "We may have plied him with alcohol. It didn't take long for him to loosen up and join in." Her face became thoughtful. "He was a good sport about it all and they seem smitten. I'm happy that they found each other."_

~~~***~~~

It rankled Kylo more than he liked to admit…the fact that Hux got to hang out with Rey and her friends.

Worse, when he'd tried to roast Hux about the whole playing D&D thing, the insufferable ass had just smirked at him in a supercilious way, which was annoying enough, but Kylo was infuriated when Hux inadvertently made Rey cry. 

~~~***~~~

_When the elevator doors closed a week before Thanksgiving, Kylo turned to Rey with a small smile._

_"How was your weekend?" He asked, then watched in growing horror as her face crumpled and her eyes filled with tears. Rey buried her face in her hands and her shoulders shook as she cried softly._

_Kylo acted without thinking. He closed the short distance between them, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She fisted her hands in his jacket and clung to him as she wept. Kylo laid his cheek on top of her head and rocked her gently back and forth._

_"It's okay, I've got you," he crooned over and over like a mantra, smoothing one hand in circles on her back._

_After the worst of the storm had passed, Rey heaved a huge, shaky sigh, slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him hard. "Thank you," she mumbled into his chest. "Sorry…this is stupid." She released him, stepped back and wiped her face._

_"Do you want to talk about it?"_

_"Armie asked Rose to move in with him and she said yes."_

_Armie? He filed that in the back of his head until the next time he saw Hux and refocused on Rey. _

_She chewed on the inside of her cheek, and Kylo realized that she was fighting to control her emotions. A few moments later, she looked up at him, and her watery gaze reminded him of the ocean. "I'm happy for them, I am." she insisted vehemently, trying valiantly to convince herself. "It's just that…" Rey crossed her arms and hugged herself hard. "…she's leaving me."_

_Oh, god. Her plaintive words hit Kylo like a punch. "Oh, Rey—I'm sorry." _

_"It's stupid," she said again. "It's not like we won't still be friends or anything like that, it's just that…I'll be alone. Again."_

_"I understand what it's like to be alone, Rey. Here, give me your phone so that I can put my number in—call me anytime." When he finished he handed the device back to her. "Rey, you're not alone," he said, infusing the words with meaning._

_When she met his gaze again, there was fire in her eyes. "Neither are you."_

~~~***~~~

After they started talking on the phone regularly, things grew more relaxed between them when they were together. Kylo noticed that Rey seemed to touch him more often and he welcomed it. Little things like her hand brushing against his on her way in and out of the elevator, and standing close enough to press her arm against his. She often picked something only she could see off of his jacket or shirt. Once she stood on her toes and raised her hand and he held his breath, wondering if she was going to run her fingers through his hair, and Kylo wasn't sure if he wanted that or dreaded it, but she had only plucked a leaf from the top of his head, after which his stomach churned, in either relief or disappointment.

In spite of himself, Kylo's attraction to Rey metamorphosed to include warm feelings, which she seemed to reciprocate, and that was both utterly thrilling and breathtakingly frightening for him. He was the best version of himself in the elevator with Rey. He looked forward to sharing those few minutes with her each morning, and his heart reminded him that those minutes were often the best part of his day. 

By December, Kylo longed to ask Rey out, but he felt like he had to come clean with her first about his relationship to Leia. He dithered about it as the holidays approached but couldn't seem to figure out how to have that conversation during the short time they had in the morning and telling her over the phone felt like the coward's way out. He finally decided to take her to lunch, where he would be able to explain things to her face to face. 

Before he found the courage to ask her, his life blew up in his face. 

First Order Enterprises, a conglomerate that bought businesses, dissected them, sold their profitable parts and then tossed away the rest, including so-called "surplus" employees, threatened a hostile acquisition of Ren Publishing. Kylo and Hux spent the next two weeks failing to pull financing together to counter the offer. 

"We've contacted everyone else, Ren," Hux informed him bluntly. "We're out of options. If you want to save the business," he speared Kylo with his icy blue gaze. "You'll have to call your mother. I know," Hux replied to Kylo's growl of dissent. "It's the last thing you want to do. But you know as well as I do that it's the only way forward."

"Fucking hell," Kylo glared at the documents in front of him as if by doing so, he could change them through the power of his mind. 

Hux glanced at his watch. "I have to go. Rose is expecting me. We're driving up to spend Christmas with her family." He gathered the scattered documents together into a folder and handed it to Kylo. Compassion flared in his eyes for a moment, so fleeting that Kylo wasn't sure he'd seen it. "I don't see any other way to save the business. At least with Organa-Solo you will retain some level of autonomy. Think about it over the holiday. We have until the New Year to respond to the First Order." 

The next day Kylo called his mother.

"Ben?" The wonderment in her voice stung his conscience. 

"Hi, Mom," he said through the tightness in his throat. " Um, Merry Christmas. I need your help. " 

To her credit, Leia told him to meet her the following day. He bit back a scathing retort when she informed him the appointment would be under "Ben Solo." Because of course it was.

The next day, he spotted Rey stepping into the elevator when he pushed through the revolving door. He slowed and exhaled with relief that fate had intervened to help delay the conversation with her that he knew was coming. But his reprieve was snatched away as suddenly as it had been dangled in front of him, because Rey saw him. His heart sank when she shoved her arm between the elevator doors, holding it, and Kylo had several moments to panic as he quickened his pace. 

"Thanks," he muttered, avoiding her gaze as he got in and assumed his usual position in the back corner of the elevator car. 

He heard the doors close but kept his attention on the floor. He was achingly aware of Rey as she stood next to him, so close that if he moved at all, he would touch her. And there was nothing Kylo wanted more than to touch Rey. But what would she think of him now that she knew his identity? 

_"'Ben Solo' then, eh?" Her tone was casually curious rather than angry._

_"It seems so." He scowled at the floor. "Did Leia call you last night or this morning with the 'good news'?"_

_"I found out last night."_

_Of course she had. He snorted in derision. "Why am I not surprised that she called you on Christmas day?"_

_"She didn't call me…I was already at her house. She invited a few 'holiday orphans' from work to have dinner with her yesterday, including me."_

_Meaning Dad didn't bother to come home. Flying other people's families around for the holidays (it's the best time of year for the big bucks, kid!) had always been more important to Han than spending that time with his own._

_"…everyone else had left and I was gathering my things when Leia's phone rang…she glanced at it and…" Rey's eyes softened. "…if you could have seen her face when she saw who was calling…"_

_Kylo ground his teeth._

_"After she hung up with you, she told me to clear her calendar this morning, that she was meeting with her son, Ben Solo, aka Kylo Ren, owner of Ren Publishing." Rey raised her eyebrows with a soft smile. "You've made her happy you know…"_

_"Have I? That's a first."_

_"Kylo—er—Ben—fuck!" Kylo was shocked by Rey's sharp glance and sharper tongue. "What the hell should I call you?"_

_"I thought you knew. It's 'Ben Solo.' I don't have a choice in the matter." Kylo knew he was being churlish and couldn't muster the energy to care._

_Rey held up her hand. "Wait. Back up. Why do you think you don't have a choice about your own name?"_

_He gaped at her in utter disbelief. "Rey—you know as well as I do that the PR around this will be spun as 'The Prodigal Son' comes home." He inhaled and dragged a hand through his hair. "'Ben Solo, ungrateful, some would say hateful, only heir to the Organa-Solo empire welcomed back into the bosom of his family.'"_

_It was his worst nightmare…everything he had fled circling back like a ravenous vulture, ready to devour him once again. His fucking family's "legacy." He thumped his head against the wall repeatedly. "I fucking hate this, but…" He softened his gaze and gave her a small shrug. "…you know as well as I do what First Order Enterprises does to businesses like mine. I couldn't let that happen to my people."_

_She tilted her head to one side and her eyes were intense when they met his. "You never did answer me—what should I call you?"_

_"You're the first person to presume I had a choice, Rey, so thanks for that."_

_"Kylo," she huffed irritably, falling back on the name she knew him by, he noticed with a stab of pleasure. "You are a grown-ass man. Ren Publishing is still your business. You can call yourself whatever you like."_

_Didn't she understand that he couldn't? He was becoming part of the "Organa-Solo" brand and…wasn't it understood…? "Leia has already told me that she's not calling me anything but 'Ben.'" _

_"She's your mum, mate." Rey replied matter-of-factly. "That's different. But with everyone else—you get to choose. If anyone dares, well, just use that patented 'Kylo Ren in a strop' glare if they try."_

_Kylo stared at Rey as if she'd lost her mind. He started when she flung her arms up into an exaggerated shrug._

_"That decision is literally up to you. Besides." She raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Imagine how pleased Leia will be when she finds out that she's the only one allowed to call you 'Ben.'_

~~~***~~~

After initial bustle of her morning routine had died down a little, Rey's attention was drawn to the flowers once again. She picked up and re-read the note and thought about the implications of his signature. 

_Ben_.

She couldn't forget their conversation about the relative importance of names after she'd learned what his…birth name…truly was. She was still dumbfounded by his firm belief that he had no say in the matter of what people called him. 

Last Friday, as they rode together in the elevator, she hadn't been able to resist gloating at him after he grudgingly admitted that she had been right about Leia's reaction to the whole name thing. 

She was startled later that afternoon when she heard Leia's office door slam forcefully and glanced up when a black blur flashed by her desk. 

_"Kylo--?" She rose and hurried after him, catching up with him just as the lift arrived. She followed him inside and then cringed into the corner when he exploded in anger, hammering his fist against the wall in a fury of punches before collapsing against it and burying his head in his arms._

_"Go back to work, Rey." His muffled snarl did not quite cover a strangled sob._

_Rey took a deep breath to calm her thundering heart. Her voice was steady when she replied. "You're stuck with me until we reach the lobby, so would you like to tell me what this is about?"_

_"It's a miracle. Did you ever think you'd witness an actual god-damned miracle?" Before she could formulate a reply, he continued, his expressive voice whip-sharp with sarcasm. "It seems that, in an astounding show of family unity, both my father and my uncle will join my mother and me at the contract signing. Leia just informed me—she didn't even bother ask if I wanted them there."_

_"Why would she have to ask…? Aren't they your family...? Why wouldn't you want them there?"_

_"Why would they want to be? They never have before." He straightened, scrubbed his eyes against his sleeve and turned to face her._

_His face was tear-stained and blotchy, and Rey's heart went out to him when she saw the depth of pain reflected in his dark eyes and she ached to soothe it away. She closed the distance between them, wrapped her arms around his waist, laid her head against his chest and held him. He stiffened for a moment, and then his arms wrapped around her and he pulled her into a crushing embrace, burying his face in the side of her neck. She smoothed her hand slowly across his wide back and before long, he heaved a shuddering sigh._

_"Thank you, Rey. I'm sorry for scaring you."_

_Rey carded her hand soothingly through his soft hair. "I don't understand why you think that your family wouldn't want to be with you on such an important day, Kylo," she murmured softly._

_"They literally never have before, Rey—there was always some excuse for why they were too busy. 'Growing the business' was always more important-- _fuck_. Never mind. It's a long story that involves nannies and tutors and boarding schools." He released her, sagged against the wall, and closed his eyes. A tear escaped and he swiped it away viciously. "You know…I figured that this would be spun as 'Prodigal Son', but I never thought Leia would try to weave in 'Happy Family' too." He huffed in impotent defeat. "There's nothing I can do about it and Leia knows it. She is a ruthless negotiator, but I never expected this—goddammit, she's spinning it this way because she knows there's nothing that I can do to stop her." _

_"You haven't signed the contract yet," Rey reminded him._

_Kylo opened his eyes halfway and pinned her with his gaze. "You know that I have to," he said quietly._

_"I'm sorry this is so hard for you."_

_He shrugged. "I know that it's a good deal-business-wise," he admitted. "It's just that I didn't really expect this level of bullshit to accompany it."_

_"It's hard for your family too," she ventured softly._

_"I know."_

~~~***~~~

"Nice flowers." 

Rey was startled out of her thoughts. She turned and found Kylo—er—Ben leaning against her desk with his arms crossed over his chest and a small smile on his face. 

She leaped out of her chair and flung herself at him. Startled, he wrapped his arms around her, lifted her off of her feet and spun her in a circle. She flung her arms around his neck and fell into his warm, amber gaze as she dangled in his embrace, having been literally swept off of her feet. She glanced at his plush pink lips and then back to his eyes. "I really want to kiss you right now, Ben, if that's okay with you," she said softly.

His smile widened, revealing his adorably crooked teeth and the canyons of dimples on either side of his mouth. Rey was so surprised by his radiant expression that it took her a moment to realize that she was being carried her away from her desk. 

"Ben…?" 

"I really want to kiss you too," he growled in her ear. 

Rey held on and giggled like a schoolgirl as he turned strode down the hallway and rounded the corner into the elevator foyer. Her face reddened when she spied Ben's PA Mitaka holding open the elevator door and her heart nearly exploded out of her chest. 

"Thanks, Mitaka, make sure my mother gets her gift," Ben said as he stepped through the door and pressed the button for the ground floor. As the doors were closing, he pinned her against the wall with his hot, hard body then lowered his head and caught her lips with his. They were firm and soft and hungry. 

She buried her hands in his hair and devoured his mouth as if she was starving and it was the only sustenance she needed. When his tongue teased her mouth open and swept inside, she met it with hers. They explored and tangled and teased and, too soon, Ben tore his mouth away with a gasp. He pressed his forehead against hers and panted, his warm breath ghosting her lips. 

"Happy Valentine's day, sweetheart."

"I've got a good feeling about this." Rey murmured.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm thinking of doing a smutty chapter if that's something you guys would like.


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